Stock Market Takes a Beating
The Indian Stock Market index SENSEX tumbled 826 points or 6.77% in the worst ever correction (in point terms) since 1992 prompted by a slew of international events, ill-informed reporting, Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) selling, and Government fumbles.<More>

Development of Unorganized Sector
The Government is working on a positive draft that seeks to bring development benefits such as health care, sick benefits, maternity benefits, and life insurance to 362 million workers in the unorganized sector earning less than Rs. 6500 a month.<More>

Indian Political Perceptions on Religion
Information & Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said that he has asked the board that certifies films not to approve the Da Vinci Code movie before he gets a nod from the Catholic Church.<More>

Environment,
Health and Education

Lower Bar for Teachers
In a bid to recruit more teachers in colleges, the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry is lowering educational standards further with a proposal to abolish National Entrance Test (NET) requirements for those with MPhil and PhD candidates.<More>

India & China Work on Diabetic Drug
India and China, vying for the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world, are working together their vast herbal drug knowledge to identify medicine and herbs that can control diabetes.<More>

Terrorism,
Defense, Security and Science &
Technology

Naxal Violence Unseats Terrorism in J&K
Junior Home Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal admitted in Parliament that the Naxal menace in India is more threatening, cause more disruption, and resulted in more deaths that the Pakistan-inspired terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.<More>

Bangladesh Planning Anti-Terror Laws
Bangladesh is planning to enact a new law along the lines of hated Special Powers Act to grant police draconian powers to curb terrorism gripping the country and fast slipping into India.
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Neighbors

Nepal Clips King’s Powers
The recently reinstated Nepalese Parliament unanimously voted on a resolution to severely curb the rights of the King, make the country a Republic, abrogate his legal immunity, and aggrandize power over the Army, court, and Constitution to itself.<More>

Iran Ridicules EU Offer
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ridiculed the European Union (EU) proposal that offers incentives for Iran to give up ambitions to enrich uranium fuel likening the offer of "candy for gold."<More>

World

India-US to Meet on Nuke Deal; US No to Pak
Even as Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and US Under-Secretary of Political Affairs Nicholas Burns plan to meet to try iron out last minute hurdles in the Indo-US Civilian Nuclear deal, the US firmly spurned Pakistan's request for a similar deal.<More>

France Promises to Lobby for India in NSG
Even as the US Congress deliberates the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, France has promised that it will pitch for India at the plenary session of the 44-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Rio de Janeiro later this month.<More>

The
Bill on National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme seeks to provide
guaranteed employment to one
member of every rural household
for at least 100 days a year for a
minimum wage of Rs.60 per day.
Out of 260 million poor people in
the country, about 200 million
poor people are in rural areas.
People in 45% rural India do not
get work for six months in a year.